Love can be the anchor for growth and self improvement, given how two individuals learn to support each other while balancing their life goals!
Continue reading “Cosmetic Playlover Season 2” First Impressions (Ep.1 & 2)
Category Archives: Japanese Reviews
“Countdown to Yes” First Impressions (Ep.1 & 2)
Falling in love is exciting, especially the part where you’re suspended in the waiting. The quiet anticipation of what might happen next. Even in the confusion, even in the awkwardness of trying to untangle your own feelings from someone else’s, there’s always that electric thread of hope running beneath it all, waiting for its moment.
That feeling sits at the very heart of Countdown to Yes.
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“The Boyfriend Season Two” First Impressions (Ep.1 to 6)
I was scrolling through my X feed when it suddenly dawned on me that the second season of the Japanese gay dating reality show “The Boyfriend” has premiered. It was even more shocking that Netflix had dropped six episodes on the first day itself!!
Set in the snow clad mountains of Hokkaido, Japan, Season Two returns with a careful portrayal of same-sex relationships. While Season One curated to different perspectives and audiences, the sequel endeavors to set a benchmark for shocking precedents. It is slightly mature, overtly rehearsed and has a time-tested formulaic personality.
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“A Man Who Defies The World of BL Final” Series Review (Ep.1 to 6)
To be sure, this story is a lot more of the same. A few more BL tropey ‘flags’ that trigger Bl developments were introduced that Mob (Inukai Atsuhiro) wiggles out from with seemingly little enthusiasm or creativity to them. Just like he did in all the other seasons. This time, honestly, I did not find any of it even funny or humorous. It felt old and came across as the usual modus operandi. Even his parents seemed relegated to a more tertiary role. And his brother was, well, just his brother. It was all more-of-the-same. Everyone looked – tired and ready to move on.
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“A Man Who Defies The World of BL 2024” Series Review (Ep.1 to 6)
While I have a great affinity for Seasons One and Two of this series, this set left me just a tad feeling deprived. It felt ‘empty’ and a bit stale. While certainly entertaining and funny overall, it lost a bit of its magic; at least for me. However, its ending did redeem itself.
Continue reading “A Man Who Defies The World of BL 2024” Series Review (Ep.1 to 6)
“Chosen Home” Series Review (Ep.1 to 10)
“A chosen family is where you are accepted, where you are seen, where you are loved.” – Oprah
“Therapy Game” Series Review (Ep.3 to 9)
Relationships, especially for people carrying past hurt, aren’t easy to navigate. Loving someone can come naturally, but helping another person feel safe, seen, and secure takes patience, intention, and care. That security is at the heart of the Japanese BL Therapy Game, a drama that understands that sometimes healing means simply being a steady presence for someone who chooses you every day.
“School Trip: Joined a Group I’m Not Close To” Series Review (Ep.3 to 10)
There’s something deeply comforting about watching a youthful romance unfold without a lot of drama, where two people simply meet, hesitate, and fall in love. School Trip: Joined a Group I’m Not Close To unfolds with that kind of slow build, offering a story that feels like catching your breath in a world that rarely slows down.
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“At 25:00 in Akasaka Season 2” Series Review (Ep.3 to 10)
Relationships aren’t always perfect or anything close to what outsiders think they should be. Sometimes the person we fall in love with is the one who quietly reminds us of the version of ourselves we most want to grow into, even when getting there is messy. That’s the heart of At 25:00 in Akasaka Season 2, the continuation of the story adapted from Natsuno Hiroko’s manga 25 Ji, Akasaka de, once again starring Niihara Taisuke as Shirasaki Yuki and Komagine Kiita as Hayama Asami, two actors whose love began in a complicated blur of fiction and truth.
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“Punks Triangle” Series Review (Ep.3 to 8)
There are always multiple sides to every person, each revealed a little differently depending on who we’re with, and each a piece of who we are as a whole.
The BL Xpress 